


An Imposter

by maddiebug



Series: There's an imposter among us [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Aliens, Among Us, Among Us AU, Astronauts, Death, Fear, Horror, Imposter, Murder, Thriller, Unreliable Narrator, space
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-25
Updated: 2020-10-06
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:48:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26637577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maddiebug/pseuds/maddiebug
Summary: Ladybug looked around the table, at her fellow astronauts, and something wasn't sitting right.Adrien couldn't see her face, not behind the helmet, but he knew that she wasn't okay.None of them were. How could they be, after everything that had happened?Her voice was shaky and hesitant, like she didn't want to admit what she knew. "I think there's an imposter among us.""But-""-Another imposter."
Series: There's an imposter among us [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1938136
Comments: 45
Kudos: 104





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi if you read my fic among us, this is the same type of AU, but from Adrien's pov, longer, and a different imposter... or is there? Hahhaha
> 
> Basically they're on a spaceship and one (or two) person(s) is a shape-shifting murderous alien.

Adrien Agreste, aka Chat Noir, was in charge of security on the Miraculous Spacecraft. 

It was his job to find any possible safety threats and eliminate them.

He checked the oxygen every day. He ran stability checks on the engine and reactors. He made sure that the ship's data was synced, so that information from the navigation could reach the engine.

The best part of his job was when he got to blow up asteroids. Chat Noir was known for destruction. In a good way. When the spacecraft entered uncharted asteroid fields, he was in charge of blasting the biggest ones, while Ladybug steered them to safety.

Ladybug.

The captain Ladybug was miraculous. Adrien admired her spirit, her commitment to science, her intelligence, her voice, the way she talked about earth. He admired everything about her.

And maybe, just maybe, he had a little bit of a crush on her. He wasn't going to say anything, because that would be weird. He didn't even really know her that well. Her favorite color was pink, and she was wicked at card games, which they played during breaks, but he didn't know her name. 

He didn't know any of their names. Carapace, Rena Rouge, Ryuko, Viperion, Pegasus, and Queen Bee, were all just faces behind masks. 

He had no idea what any of them looked like. They kept their helmets on most of the time, just in case anything happened. If there was an oxygen leak, already having the helmets would give them the extra seconds, minutes, that they needed to survive.

It was a safety precaution, more than a secret.

There were a lot of secrets aboard the ship.

Keeping the mission a secret was part of the contract they signed.

If anything on this mission went wrong, no one would know what happened to Adrien Agreste. 

Chat Noir would be remembered as a failure, if he failed to secure the ship. 

The other area that Adrien had been intensely trained in was Alien invasion. The only way to deal with a hostile species was violence. The safety of his crew mattered, first and foremost. 

Not that Adrien believed in Aliens.

(Well, he believed that there could be life outside of earth. Plants, and basic lifeforms could possibly thrive on other planets.)

Adrien didn't believe in sentient alien lifeforms. 

He was told to be prepared for anything, from a classic ufo and green-eyed monster, to shape-shifting creatures who pretended to be a part of the crew, gaining trust before killing everyone.

It sounded like something out of science fiction. The information that Adrien had been given was vague and boring. 

It didn't even confirm the existence of Aliens, it just listed possible varieties. 

Basically, it was a load of shit. It was conspiracy theories and nutjobs. 

Adrien focused more on actual, real threats to security, like giant asteroids, rather than hypothetical threats like Aliens. 

So many things would destroy them before Aliens. 

He was standing in weapons, showing Queen Bee how to aim and destroy asteroids, when an alarm went off.

Adrien was an expert on the ship's emergency alarm system. He had memorized every life-threatening alert, and dangerous beep. 

So it was weird that he didn't recognize this alarm. 

"Emergency team meeting."

"What?" They had been aboard the spacecraft for months. Months. 

There had never been an emergency team meeting. 

Queen Bee started sprinting towards the cafeteria.

Chat Noir followed closely behind. 

It probably wasn't a life and death scenario. If Adrien had to guess, it was about food supplies. They weren't running low, but the greenhouse hadn't worked as well as planned. The lack of sunlight stunted the plant's growth, which was a problem.

They had enough to survive, but not enough for any extra.

By the time Adrien got to the Cafeteria, there were six other astronauts waiting there.

Ladybug cleared her throat. "I bet you're wondering why I gathered you here today."

Carapace folded his arms. "I was in the middle of rewiring the navigation board, this better be important."

"Chat Noir was teaching me how the guns work." Queen Bee whined. "I really want to keep learning from him."

There was some sort of message she was trying to send. Adrien wasn't sure what it was and he didn't care. There was no time to flirt on a spaceship.

He ignored Queen Bee and did a quick head count. Something wasn't adding up.

There was Ladybug, and Ryuko, and Queen Bee, and Carapace and Rena Rouge and Pegasus-

Adrien. "Shouldn't we wait for Viperion?"

Ladybug's shoulders started shaking and she sat down.

At first, Adrien thought she was laughing. 

Ryuko pushed everyone back. "Give Ladybug space, she's panicking."

They followed the command. Ryuko was the highest ranked Astronaut, after Ladybug.

If Ladybug was incapacitated, all power went to Ryuko. She was in charge.

"No-" Ladybug choked out, "stay here."

Hesitantly, they all stepped closer.

"Viperion... he's gone." Ladybug shuddered.

Adrien hated the slight relief he felt. Ladybug and Viperion had been so close. A little too close, not that it was any of his business. 

He wasn't making a move anyways. 

Ladybug needed support. A friend.

And Adrien had to do his job as head of security.

"How did it happen?"

"He.. stabbed... not an accident." She muttered.

He sat down next to her. "Did you see who did it?"

A nod.

"Can you tell me?"

Ladybug started sobbing. 

"Hey, buggaboo, it's okay. All you need to do is point, and I'll deal with the threat."

Slowly, Ladybug raised her arm and pointed at the person that Adrien expected least.

Her second in command. 

Ryuko.

Before anyone could react, Adrien pulled out his handcuffs and cuffed Ryuko. "Why?"

Ryuko laughed. It was a deep, sinister laugh. It didn't feel human. "I was just completing my mission."

"You were supposed to be rerouting the navigation-" Ladybug sobbed.

"The old Ryuko was supposed to do that." Ryuko chuckled. "My mission was to get rid of all of you."

"And, how exactly do you plan to do that?" Adrien crossed his arms. "You have no idea how many security measures I've put up."

"Only four that I could disable."

The lights flickered. The oxygen alarm started beeping. That was two.

Hopefully she was bluffing.

Adrien sent Carapace and Rena Rouge to fix the Oxygen. He sent Pegasus alone, to fix the electricity. Pegasus was highly skilled with technology. He would be able to fix it before anyone else.

"How are you doing this? Why would you kill another human?" He shook Ryuko's shoulders, searching for an answer.

"Bold of you to assume I'm human."

It was Queen Bee who asked the question they had all been too afraid to ask. "If you aren't human, what are you?"

"Me?" Ryuko laughed again. "Haven't you figured it out, Chat Noir? You did study my kind to the best of your abilities."

"An alien?" Adrien frowned. "I didn't realize you were real."

"I'm not just any alien. I'm an imposter."

"Those aren't real." He denied. "They're just theoretical."

"Oh believe me," Ryuko cackled, "I'm as real as you are. Akuma 

"Akuma, that's what you call yourself?" He was stalling, trying to figure out a way to defeat her. She hadn't given him much information, but maybe-

Ryuko sighed. "That's one name. Akuma, Imposter, Shape-Shifter, its all the same-"

Adrien didn't remember much about the imposter-types. He had only heard of the akuma once. They were a parasite, that looked like dark butterflies. They were supposed to fly towards an unsuspecting victim, entering the bloodstream within seconds.

Once they invaded a body, they had complete control. They could rewire the brain and mimic language. All they wanted was to kill.

And as far as anyone knew, no way to reverse the effects of an akuma.

Definitely a major security threat.

Ladybug looked up at Adrien. "You're familiar?"

He swallowed. "Unfortunately."

The words Ryuko said next gave Adrien more fear than he had ever felt in his life.

"And I'm not alone."

Ryuko pulled her arms out of the cuffs and procured a knife. 

She took a deep dive towards Ladybug, and-

Queen Bee stabbed a sharp needle into her arm. 

Ryuko's body slumped to the floor. Motionless.

She looked dead.

"Have you been experimenting with medical supplies again?" Adrien asked as Ladybug looked up at Queen Bee.

"What the hell was that, Queenie?"

"It was Venom." Queen Bee gave a syringe to Ladybug and one to Adrien himself. "A very potent paralyzing agent of my own invention."

"Why?"

"In case one of you went crazy, or needs medical help. I don't have anesthesia and I'm not doing surgery on a wiggling body."

"Thats.. terrifying." Adrien admitted.

"..genius." Ladybug nodded.

"How long does it last?"

Queen Bee shrugged. "On me, a few hours. If she's really an alien, I have no idea."

"We have to take her away." Adrien frowned. "I don't know what to do with her, but she's a threat to everyone's safety. I think we can lock her up in the medbay, if we strap her down."

Ladybug shook her head. "There's a protocol for this." 

"There is?"

"Protocol F." 

Adrien had the safety manual memorized. Why couldn't he think of protocol F- "isn't that only in worst case scenario, if someone becomes unstable?"

"She's already killed one. She tried to kill me." Ladybug frowned. "But if you have a better idea, let me know, Mr..Security, since you're so great at making sure we all stay alive."

That was harsh, and it stung.

Ladybug knew it too. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

"You're right." Adrien took a deep breath. "Its the only option to ensure the safety of everyone else."

"I'd say that she qualifies as unstable." Queen Bee agreed. "I diagnose her with the medically insane."

"This isn't a time to joke."

"Its how I cope, sorry. I can grab her arms?"

With Queen Bee's help, Adrien dragged Ryuko to the trash dump.

He frowned. "I wish there was another way. Do you know anything about extracting Alien parasites?"

Queen Bee shook her head. "No, I'm trained in science, not science fiction."

"Me too." Adrien and Queen Bee threw Ryuko's wiggling body into the trash bin.

"I thought it was supposed to last an hour," Adrien whisper-shouted.

"It is!" Queen Bee snapped back.

Ryuko was laughing hysterically. "Don't you want to know who the other imposter is?"

"You're bluffing." Adrien glared. "It was only you."

"But what if I'm not bluffing?" 

The idea was too terrifying to imagine.

Adrien had already let down one member of his crew. Ryuko would be the last. "Say Adios-"

He slammed the trashbin shut, as Queen Bee pulled the lever, to expel the trash into the vacuum of space.

At this point, the best thing to hope for was that Ryuko was really gone.

It would be too cruel a death.

After they launched her into the deep abyss of space, both Queen Bee and Chat Noir, sat down and breathed.

"What if she was right?" Queen Bee's hands were shaking. "What if there's another, waiting to kill us?"

"There isn't." Adrien tried to reassure her, but they both knew he had no idea.

Neither of them knew anything. 

They sat there together for a few minutes. 

"I killed her." Queen Bee took a deep breath. "It's my fault."

"Its what we had to do." Adrien frowned. "I'm as much to blame as you are."

The words were supposed to be inspiring, but they did nothing to ease the pit in his stomach.

Adrien had already failed. Two members of the crew had been compromised. Maybe one more.

It was all his fault.

When the oxygen alarms stopped blaring, Adrien took a deep breath and stood up. "Sounds like Carapace and Rena succeeded."

The lights flickered. 

"Pegasus didn't."

"Not yet, at least." Adrien grabbed Queen Bee's hand and pulled her up. "Come on, we should check on Ladybug."

"You're right." Queen Bee shook her head. "We need to focus on what we have, not what we've lost."

"Ryuko was a great astronaut." Adrien looked at the trash dump. "She will be missed-"

"She was my girlfriend, you idiot." Queen Bee let out a choked sob.

Adrien really wasn't trained to deal with emotions. "I'm sorry."

"You failed her. You failed us." She sobbed.

"I know." Adrien grit his teeth. "I won't let it happen again."

"Promise?" She held out a hand. 

He shook it, even though he had no way of knowing what could happen. Safety was never a guarantee. 

Adrien lied. "I promise."

Queen Bee nodded. "Before we go back to Ladybug, I need to go to the bathroom. Its been a long day."

"Yeah." It had been the longest day of Adrien's life. He lost a crew member, and had to eliminate another. 

"Can you wait outside? I don't want to be alone."

"Of course." Adrien gulped. "I won't let anything happen to you."

As promised, nothing happened to her. After five minutes, she left the bathroom, and Adrien took his turn, which was faster. 

Then, together, they walked back to Ladybug. 

By the time Adrien and Queen Bee got back to the Cafeteria, Rena Rouge and Carapace were already sitting with Ladybug.

Queen Bee rushed over and gave Ladybug a hug.

The two women, two of the strongest women Adrien had ever met, broke down sobbing. 

It was heart wrenching, but Adrien had to focus on safety.

He did a quick headcount. The only person missing was Pegasus.

"He's still working on the lights?" Adrien frowned.

"Yeah." Carapace nodded.

"Me and Cara checked on him before heading back here. He said he didn't need our help."

"How long ago was that?"

"Maybe half an hour ago?"

That was when Chat and Queen Bee had been sitting on the ground. When they felt the crushing weight of guilt of killing another being.

Adrien stood up. "I should check on him."

"He's fine." Carapace waved. "You know how he is. Doesnt want to be bothered."

"I thought he would've been done by now."

"Yeah, well I guess Ryuko really messed them up." Ladybug tapped the walkie-talkie on her chest. "She also took out the coms."

"How?" Adrien pulled out his own walkie-talkie. "That should be impossible."

"Apparently not for an imposter."

The rest of the astronauts sat in silence.

The lights kept occasionally flickering. 

They were mostly working, but every couple of minutes, there would be a total blackout. It was brief, but long enough for someone to stab someone else.

Everyone sat six feet apart.

There was an unspoken issue of trust.

If you had asked Adrien just one day ago if he trusted his fellow astronauts not to stab him in the back, he would not have hesitated to vouch for them.

Now, all of that trust had vanished.

After a few hours, Ladybug sent Rena Rouge and Carapace to check on Pegasus.

Together. 

It wasn't a good idea to send one person out on their own.

That could have been exactly what the imposter wanted. If there was another imposter.

After what felt like an eternity, Rena Rouge and Carapace returned.

Only Rena Rouge and Carapace.

"Pegasus?" Ladybug asked.

Rena Rouge shook her head. 

Carapace stared at the floor. "Decapitated."

Queen Bee gasped. 

Adrien blinked back tears.

For the second time that day, an emergency meeting was called.

Ladybug looked around the table, at her fellow astronauts, and something wasn't sitting right.

Adrien couldn't see her face, not behind the helmet, but he knew that she wasn't okay. None of them were.

How could they be, after everything that had happened?

Her voice was shaky and hesitant, like she didn't want to admit what she knew.

What they all knew, whether they were willing to accept it or not.

"I think there's an imposter among us."

"But-" Adrien was supposed to secure the ship. He was supposed to keep everyone safe.

He had already failed Viperion and Ryuko.

He couldn't believe that he had failed Pegasus too.

"-Another imposter among us." 


	2. Chapter 2

Ladybug was the first to speak. "I was in the cafeteria the whole time. I didn't see anything." 

"I know Captain, we trust you." Queen Bee nodded.

"And I want to trust you." Ladybug looked down. "Where were all of you when the second killing happened."

"I was with Carapace the whole time."

"I was with Rena." The green astronaut agreed.

"We fixed oxygen, and then checked on Pegasus. Since then, we've been here the whole time." Rena Rouge crossed her arms. "Other than when we went back and-"

"-Saw what happened." Carapace finished. 

Ladybug nodded. "That adds up. How about you two?"

"I was with Chat Noir the whole time." Queen Bee spoke, before he could.

"Why did it take you so long?" Ladybug tilted her head. "They were back before you were."

"After we... dumped the body, we both started crying." Chat explained.

Queen Bee pushed him. "I didn't cry."

"You definitely did."

"I was just taking time to cope with the guilt."

"Guilt?" Ladybug asked.

"The crushing weight of being responsible for Ryuko's death." Adrien explained. "We know it wasn't her in there, but it still hurt."

"So you guys sat on the floor and cried?"

"Yeah." Adrien confirmed. "Other than when Queen Bee went to the bathroom, but even then, I stood outside in the hallway."

"I'm pretty sure Chat Noir had an existential crisis." 

Adrien hit Queen Bee. "I did, but it doesn't matter. I let Ryuko get to my head. She was probably bluffing."

"What did she say?" Ladybug asked. 

Adrien gulped. "She said that there was another imposter." 

Queen Bee nodded. "She said that we were all going to die."

"She said she was an akuma, right? Chat Noir, you're head of security. What can you tell us about Akuma?"

"Officially, next to nothing. They're classified as a theoretical species of parasitic aliens, with potentially homicidal tendencies."

"Theoretical?" Ladybug asked.

"They've never been confirmed." Adrien looked down. "The scientist who claimed to discover them, Hawkmoth, was labeled insane. He was the only one who returned from a ten man mission."

"That's terrible." 

"Its not even the worst part." Adrien continued. "He took a second mission into space, in hopes of capturing specimen, but he never came back."

"What?"

"It was assumed that he went crazy and killed the other members of his crew. Again. They lost all communication."

"Never came back? Why was I never told about this? I am the captain. If we are in dangerous systems, I want to reroute navigation. We cannot be invaded like this." Ladybug stood up. "This is an outrage."

Adrien shook his head. "If the scientist's theories were correct, rerouting won't do anything."

"It won't?"

"If there's already an imposter aboard the ship, they will destroy all of us and stop at nothing."

Queen Bee who had mostly been quiet, finally spoke up. "Ladybug, we all have alibis. What were you really doing when Pegasus died?"

"I was here the whole time." Ladybug snapped. "It would've been nearly impossible for me to kill Pegasus and get back here in between the time that you guys checked on him and reported back. I am your captain."

"She's right." Adrien frowned. "It could've been any of us, and you're the only one who doesn't have an alibi."

"So you think I killed Pegasus?"

"No?" It wasn't as easy to say as Adrien had hoped. He wanted to believe that Ladybug was innocent, but she was also the most suspicious."

Queen Bee shrugged. "Maybe."

Rena crossed her arms. "I think it's suspicious that you're blaming her, Queenie. You and Chat could've been anywhere when Max was killed. After all, it took you an awfully long time to get back."

"Is that an accusation?" Queen Bee pulled a syringe out of her pocket.

"It might be."

"I'll show you an accusation-"

Adrien had to physically retrain Queen Bee. "I understand that everyone is scared right now, but that's what they want. The only want for us to get out of this alive is for us to work together. We have to outsmart them."

Queen Bee stopped struggling. "Fine. I won't attack Rena, until I have proof."

"You won't get proof, because I'm not a murderer." Rena snapped back.

"Ladies!" Ladybug yelled. "Chat Noir is right. The only way to win, is if we work together."

"You know," Carapace mused, "Chat Noir did know an awful lost of information about the akumas. Doesnt that seem suspicious."

Adrien clenched his fists. "I'm head of security. Its my job go know about any possible threats."

"Yeah, but it's a little strange that you know about this particular threat. Especially since you said all the information was classified and theoretical."

"I hate to admit it, Chaton, but it is suspicious." Ladybug sighed. "How do you know this much Chat?"

Adrien sighed. "Can I just say personal reasons and leave it at that?"

Queen Bee pointed her syringe at him. "Only if you want to get thrown into space."

"Fine." Adrien took a breath. "Remember the crazy scientist I talked about? The one who discovered and named the Akuma?"

"Yeah."

"Well..." Adrien swallowed. His hands were shaking. He had to admit a truth about his past, something that he had done his best to hide. Adrien had avoided being compared to a psychopath for his entire life, and now, he had to tell the truth.

"We're waiting." Queen Bee gestured with the syringe.

"Right." Adrien nodded. "That scientist... was my father."

Queen Bee nodded. "Not what I was expecting, but fair enough. If you were a murderer, you would've killed me while we were alone together."

"Not exactly trust, but I'll take it." Adrien closed his eyes. "I don't usually talk about it, because-"

"I understand." Carapace patted Adrien on the back. "You didn't want to be associated with that lunatic.

The words were true, but they stung. "Yeah."

"So," Queen Bee spun around, "that points us back to you. Any last words, Ladybug?"

Ladybug sighed, loudly. "I don't know. Why don't we check the cameras and see what they show."

"That's... a good idea." Queen Bee lowered her syringe. "But we all have to go together."

"Of course."

Adrien stood up. "Follow me to security. I'll rewind the cameras for the past couple of hours, and see what we see."


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you notice any inconsistencies and or logic errors, shhhhh those definitely don't exist

The results from the cameras were, unfortunately, inconclusive.

The cameras recorded the hallways, not the rooms, so it was impossible to tell what happened when. There was no camera pointed directly at Pegasus when he died, so it certainly made identifying the suspect more difficult.

Not to mention, due to technical difficulties, the cameras shorted out every couple of minutes. There was a substantial amount of footage that was just static. 

Luckily, there was enough evidence to prove innocence.

Rena Rouge and Carapace entered and left the electrical room exactly when they said they did. That mostly took suspicion off of them. 

Either they were both impostors, or neither of them were impostors. At this point, Adrien could only hope for the best.

Ladybug never left the cafeteria, unless she managed to avoid the cameras. There was a brief period where she paced back and forth out of view of the camera, over by the vent, but her muttering could be heard the whole time. 

The area she had wandered over to didn't have a door. It just had a vent.

Finally, Adrien turned the footage to himself and Queen Bee.

It showed them dragging Ryuko into the oxygen room. They had left the door open, and the camera showed both of them sitting on the floor. 

Then, the cameras followed as they got up and walked back.

The only time they hadn't been on camera was the brief period when they were in the bathrooms. 

Any evidence was circumstantial. There was an imposter, but no way to prove who it was.

Watching the footage made Adrien feel sick. He was supposed to protect the rest of the team. He had a duty to save everyone that he could. 

He had already failed enough. He was determined to find the killer and bring them to justice. Before anything else happened. 

The only problem was, he had no idea who to blame. 

Everyone seemed equally suspicious.

Ladybug had directly wandered out of the view of the cameras. That screamed guilty.

Rena and Carapace were the last two people to see Pegasus alive. If that wasn't suspicious, he didn't know what was.

The only person Chat knew had an alibi was Queen Bee. She had been with him the entire time. She very easily could have killed him while they were alone. All she needed to do was close the door and dump his body. 

Sure, they would've caught her, with the camera footage, but the only person who knew where all of the Cameras were pointed was Adrien.

Pegasus would've known too.

The only chance Queen Bee had to kill someone was if she had done it while she was in the restroom. 

That seemed unlikely. There was only one door in or out, and Adrien had stood by it the entire time. Unless she crawled through a vent or something, it would've been impossible for her to travel past him. 

Adrien mentally crossed Queen Bee off of his list, but any one of the remaining members of the crew could be guilty. 

Rena Rouge and Carapace could've killed Pegasus together, and only reported the body later.

And Ladybug had that weird patch of time that couldn't be accounted for. 

Adrien didn't voice his opinions. He knew everyone was thinking the same things.

He looked around the room, at his fellow astronauts. He didn't think that any of them had what it took to be a murderer. 

Queen Bee could be a bitch, but she always wanted what was best for the team. Carapace relaxed a bit too much, but never would have stabbed someone. Rena Rouge never went anywhere without Carapace. Adrien suspected they were secretly dating...

And then there was Ladybug.

Ladybug was amazing. She was the bravest, most selfless person Adrien knew. If she was a murderer, then so was he. 

Even though she seemed like one of the top three suspects, Adrien crossed her off his mental list. 

If Ladybug was the imposter, he would die no matter what he did. 

If it was anyone else, he had a chance for survival. 

After a period of awkward silence, Ladybug finally spoke up."That was, not very helpful."

"You could say that." Adrien sighed. "I thought the cameras would have better evidence." 

"That footage proves nothing." Ladybug crossed her arms. "We are going to assume that everyone is innocent, until proven guilty."

"Are you sure?" Adrien didn't want to question the captain's authority, but her sanity. There was a murderer among them. They could not just be let go.

"I'm sure. For now, we travel as a group. If the impostor attacks, we will know who it is."

Adrien had to admit, it was a genius suggestion. If he killed an innocent person, he wouldn't be able to live with himself. 

The guilt would weigh him down. 

"This is no longer every man for him self." Ladybug announced. "We are a team, and we must act like it. We will be together all the time. No lone wolves."

"But-"

"Not even you. We all are going to stick together." Ladybug took a deep breath. "And, if you have a problem with that, have fun floating in the abyss of space."

Adrien forgot how to breathe for a second. Ladybug couldn't do that. She couldn't say that.

He couldn't kill someone, just because they wanted privacy.

But Ladybug had said it. And she meant it.

And Adrien Agreste knew he had to follow orders.

"And no," Ladybug finished, "this is not up for negotiation."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, I don't know if you've seen the miraculous New York special (probably not, it came out today and I watched it from a youtube video that has since become deleted but damn)  
> I don't want to spoil anything, but I would like to say that animation really stepped it up. (Other than the chat/ladybug transformations which were literally the same as they always are we love it). None of those awkward scenes like was it Felix with the creepy ass car scene? I think so. None of that. The characters and backgrounds looked magnificent.
> 
> The new heroes, icons, big fans. Little bit chaotic.
> 
> Minor spoilers (non important) between the lines of stars, ends after the second line of stars
> 
> ****** **********  
> Okay shcshshshshshsg that scene like five minutes in when Chat gives ladybugs a flower and then goes "I should give myself more flowers I'm awesome" and kisses his bicep? That was peak adrichat right there ajdgsjgsjsgsg
> 
> This has concluded any spoilers for miraculous new York   
> ********************
> 
> Also, please don't spoil in my comments, most people probably haven't seen it yet we are only talking about the adrichat moment that is all


	4. Chapter 4

No one slept that night. They gathered their mattresses in the cafeteria, together under the bright lights, but it was a sleepless night.

The automatic trust they had as a crew was gone. It was every man for himself. At any point, another member of the crew could turn on the rest and kill them.

It wasn't a risk that anyone wanted to take. 

Adrien didn't close his eyes. He couldn't risk losing another crew member. He sat up, keeping an eye on everything with Ladybug.

They stayed up, talking strategy and plans. The only way to keep everyone safe, they agreed, was to keep them together. 

As the hours passed, Adrien's eyelids got heavier and heavier. At one point, he blinked, and when he opened his eyes, he was leaning on Ladybug's shoulder. She was leaning against him.

It would've been cute, if it wasn't for the danger they were all in. 

Adrien took a deep breath. It was his duty to protect the team. To protect the ship. Everyone else could sleep, but he would not fail them again.

His eyelids were being pulled down by an invisible string. His mind was turning to mush.

The lights faded away, and Adrien was brought back to his childhood, back to a time when-

A shiver ran down his spine. Something was wrong. Something was terribly, terribly wrong. 

He shook his head, hard, and snapped himself out of it. This was not the time for dreams. 

Adrien couldn't afford to sleep. 

When he had shaken his head, he shook Ladybug and she sat up with a groan. "Mmm awake," she mumbled, sitting straight up.

Adrien chuckled. "Its okay to be sleepy bug."

"I have to keep watch." She scooted away. "Its my fault. I'm captain, I have to keep them safe."

"I'm in charge of security. Its my fault for not protecting the ship."

"You had no idea, none of us believed in Aliens."

"It's not your fault, Ladybug. Don't feel bad for falling asleep."

"You shouldn't feel bad either."

Adrien smiled. "Its not my fault that you make such a good pillow."

"I could feel your heartbeat. It was relaxing." Ladybug yawned. "Maybe we should just all fall asleep."

"Yeah, that's a good idea..."

They both blinked, and Carapace was standing in front of them, breathing heavily. "How.. how did both of you sleep through that?"

Adrien stood up quickly, swaying from side to side. He felt lightheaded. "I was awake the whole time."

"No man, you definitely fell asleep."

Adrien helped pull Ladybug to her feet. "Maybe I dozed off for a moment-"

Ladybug shook her head. "What did we miss?"

"I almost died." Carapace gestured behind him, to where Rena Rouge was lying on the floor, with a knife in her hand. "My girlfriend tried to kill me."

Queen Bee spoke up. "You're welcome by the way. I just saved your ass."

"I never thought she would hurt me." 

"Girlfriend?" Ladybug folded her arms. "You know the rules-"

"Oh like you and Viperion knew the rules?" Carapace stepped forwards. "I don't think you have any right to judge."

Adrien stepped in between Ladybug and Carapace. "We don't have time to be fighting. You've both broken rules. We have to work together. There are bigger problems."

"Chat's right." Queen Bee crossed her arms. "We have to deal with the body."

"She's just a body?" Carapace sniffled. "Isn't there anything we can so? You said it was a parasite, right? Can we kill it?"

Queen Bee shook her head. "I don't know. Its not a risk I'm willing to take. Even if I can kill the parasite, there's a high chance that it will kill her as well."

"Rena Rouge will be missed." Adrien frowned, "but that thing, in her space suit, is an imposter. It isn't her anymore."

"Her name was Alya."

Queen Bee sighed. "She's going to start moving soon, Venom doesn't last forever, and I'd rather not die." 

Carapace groaned. "I pulled a muscle in the fight. I don't think I can carry her."

"I've got it." Chat volunteered. "Queenie?"

"No way." Queen Bee folded her arms. "I need my beauty sleep."

Ladybug sighed. "I can help you, Kitty, Lets get rid of this imposter so we can all sleep safely." 

Together, they dragged the body away, as Queen Bee and Carapace drifted back to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

It was only after they dumped the body that Adrien started having second thoughts. 

Unlike the confirmed imposter, Rena Rouge didn't wake up as they threw her body into the abyss of space. Venom was supposed to last for over an hour on humans, less on aliens.

It lasted at least 45 minutes on Rena.

Rena Rouge, being an imposter just didn't make sense. 

She had been with Carapace the whole time. If she had wanted to kill him, she would've done it a lot earlier, like during the power outages, when Max was killed.

If she had killed him then, she could've acted like she didn't see anything, and gotten away with it.

Something wasn't adding up.

And Queen Bee had been acting weird. It wasn't like her to lay low and get rest with Carapace. That was weirdly out of character. 

Maybe she thought she could comfort him, because they boat lost their girlfriends, but that would've been a weird way to comfort 

Also, Queen Bee didn't do empathy. She was, in her own words, a "heartless bitch." She would protect the ship, and didn't want anyone to die, but she didn't care if feelings got hurt. 

And there was the sinking feeling in his guy. When Queen Bee had gone to the bathroom, it has taken entirely too long. Adrien wasn't a girl, he knew it wasn't the same, but it felt like it took too long. 

It wouldn't have been enough time for Adrien to crawl through the vents and kill Pegasus, but he was bound by human constraints. An imposter could be faster. 

Parasites didn't care about the health of the host. It would hurt go squeeze through a vent, but an imposter could probably do it.

And Pegasus's body was found right above the vent.

By Rena and Carapace.

Somehow, Carapace and Queen Bee had go be working together.

They just stayed behind to figure out the rest of the plan.

Before they headed back to the cafeteria, Adrien had to voice his concerns to Ladybug. He gave a detailed explanation and reasoning. "It doesn't add up, someone has to be lying."

"I see what you mean." Ladybug nodded. "If Rena was an imposter, Carapace would have had to be blind before, or he was covering for her."

"They were together the whole time. She should have killed him earlier."

"Or not... it would be the perfect cover."

Adrien felt a lightbulb switch on in his brain. "Either Carapace is lying about being an imposter, or he's lying about Rena being one."

"What do you mean?"

"I think subduing Rena was to get us to let our guard down." Adrien explained, the pieces of the puzzle lining up perfectly.

"...I'm not sure that I'm following." Ladybugs folded her arms. 

"Well, we weren't going to rest until we found the imposter, right?"

"Right."

"So the only way to throw us off the trail is to fake an imposter."

"Why would anyone fake an imposter?"

"So that they can kill us later." Adrien took a breath. "They probably want us to think that we are safe now."

"But we aren't. If we let our guard down, they're going to kill us."

"Exactly."

"How do we win this." Ladybug looked at the floor. "Even if we accuse one of them, how can we ensure that the other doesn't attack?"

"We have go take them by surprise." Adrien patted his pocket. "You have a dose of Venom, right?"

"I do."

"Then we just have to get to them before they can get to us."

"Are we sure this is the best option?" Ladybug reached for her pocket. "I don't want to do this unless its necessary."

"Ladybug, I've already failed to protect half of the ship. At this point, all I can do is protect you and me... I don't like it either, but Carapace and Queen Bee have been acting strangely."

"That's true. I just think we should hold a team meeting and talk it out."

"Last time we tried to hold a team meeting, someone died. Ladybug, we have to take action."

"We are going to kill them."

"It doesn't count if they're already dead."

"I don't like it."

"I think its our only option." Adrien cracked his knuckles. "Its them or us."


	6. Chapter 6

After an intense conversation, Ladybug and Adrien walked back towards the cafeteria, quietly.

When they arrived, Carapace and Queen Bee were lying on the floor, pretending to sleep. Neither of them moved a muscle when Adrien approached.

Carapace had a pretty convincing fake snore. 

Adrien and Ladybug didn't have time to dwell on possibilities. Right now, they were doing what they had to do.

As quickly as a snake, as quietly as a mouse, Adrien injected Venom into Carapace, while Ladybug injected Queen Bee. 

There wasn't even a scream. Carapace and Queen Bee had no time to react, staying unconscious. It almost seemed peaceful.

Adrien decided that if he was going to die, he'd like to die in his sleep. He would slowly drift off and be gone.

He didn't want to be stabbed by an imposter. 

He didn't want anyone to be stabbed by an imposter, and based on deductive reasoning, Carapace was an imposter. Logically, Queen Bee had to be(e) an imposter as well. 

She could've killed Adrien earlier, when they were alone, but she didn't. 

It was probably just a ploy to set up an alibi, so she could climb through the vents and kill unsuspected. Queen Bee was smart, always thinking ahead. 

Adrien grabbed Carapace's body by the wrists and dragged him towards the trash dump.

It felt wrong. Every part of Adrien screamed that he was destroying the very people he was trying to protect, except the logical part of Adrien's brain.

The logical part was focused on self preservation and survival. The logical part of Adrien's brain was committed to doing everything that it could. Together, he and Ladybug could survive aboard the ship for months. They would have to be constantly working, to fix any malfunctions, but they could do it. 

Adrien didn't choose Ladybug over anyone else. It wasn't a matter of rank or importance or anything. It was a matter of trust. Ladybug was the only genuine person aboard the ship. She was the only one he trusted.

It had nothing to do with the fact that he had a crush on her that was ridiculous. Adrien hadn't even tried to flirt with her. He didn't think Ladybug was in a good place to start a new relationship, even if they were the last two people, stuck together in space, rocketing towards inevitable doom.

Adrien felt that was romantic, but he was already in love with Ladybug. He wasn't letting his feelings cloud his judgement or anything. Adrien was a logical person. He wasn't like his father. 

He was going to survive, and not alone.

Queen Bee and Carapace at this point, were liabilities. Adrien couldn't afford to keep any murderers on the ship. 

Queen Bee and Carapace had murdered Alya and Pegasus. Now, Adrien and Ladybug were bringing justice. 

Dragging Carapace on his own was rough but he persevered. At the same time, Ladybug dragged Queen Bee's body.

Ladybug was easily the smallest of the astronauts, but she managed. Queen Bee wasn't much bigger than her. 

It took both Ladybug and Chat Noir, working together, to hoist the bodies into the trash dump. 

Adrien slammed the door shut, holding it down, as Ladybug pulled the lever. Both of them were hyperventilating, on edge, waiting for something to happen. 

After everything they had gone through, it almost seemed too easy. 

They sent them off into space before either imposter had a chance to wake up.

Adrien and Ladybug were alone on the spaceship. Together. 

Without any imposters.

Unless Adrien had miscalculated.

Which was possible, if unlikely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Adrien: "the risk I took was calculated, but man am I bad at math"


	7. Chapter 7

Ladybug pulled off her helmet and sobbed, sitting down on the ground.

After double checking the oxygen, Adrien removed his helmet and sat with her. 

They held each other, crying, for several minutes. Adrien's arms we're around Ladybug, and he never wanted to let her go. He couldn't lose her too. 

She wiped away her tears. "Has anyone ever told you that your eyes are green?"

"Well, I have looked in a mirror before," he joked, "so yea I was aware of that fact."

"They're mesmerizing." She stared at him. "I've never seen eyes so green."

"Your eyes are super blue." He pointed out.

"You know, you're a lot hotter than I imagined."

"Thank you?"

"You're welcome."

"You're beautiful, which I expected."

She blushed. "This is going to sound crazy, but it's like we're the last two people in the universe-"

"That doesn't sound crazy at all. I know how you feel."

"Would you kiss me?"

Adrien obliged, leaning forwards so his lips met here, for just a second.

"No, more like this." Ladybug put her hands on either side of his face and leaned in. 

She certainly used more tongue that Adrien had been expecting.

"Not bad." She smiled. "Not, bad at all."

Adrien took a few deep breaths. "That was incredible, Ladybug."

"Marinette."

"Huh?"

"Call me Marinette." She repeated.

"Call me Adrien."

"Adrien." The word was smooth across her tongue, dripping like honey.

Maybe Adrien was desperate. "Can we kiss again?"

"Later." She promised. "I think we have work to do."

"Right. Yes. The ship." Adrien remembered.

"And I need to think about everything that's just happened."

"Why?"

"I shouldn't have kissed you. I'm sorry."

"Ladybug, don't be-"

"I dont know what I was thinking. It was extremely unprofessional, it won't happen again."

"What if I want it to happen again?"

Ladybug didn't answer him. "What do we have to do? Did we fix all of the messes that the imposter caused yet?"

"Not yet." Adrien stood up. "We still have work to do."

"We can talk about this later."

...

Ryuko had said that she had destroyed four defense systems. Lights, oxygen, and communication were all visibly damaged and easily fixed.

Adrien had no idea what the fourth system could be. 

It wasn't navigation, or engine, or even the temperature regulation. 

He and Ladybug scoured the ship, searching for answers, for a sign, for something.

Nothing else seemed to be broken, but Adrien couldn't be sure. He had to be missing something.

He had already let his guard down too many times.

The next time would probably be his last.

Adrien went around the shop, looking for any signs of destruction or malfunction. He checked the Windows for cracks, the computers for viruses, the chairs for missing legs. Everything was working fine. 

Too fine. 

When Adrien got to the point that he was disassembling the toilets to check on the plumbing, Ladybug had had enough. 

"Adrien, its okay."

"What?"

"Its okay."

"How could you say that?"

"The ship isn't going to fall apart. You're wearing yourself thin. You need to take a break." She pulled the wrench our of his hand. "What was the last time you slept?"

"I slept last night-"

"You fell asleep on my shoulder for less than 15 minutes. That doesn't count."

"Oh." Adrien yawned, but only because he was thinking about it, not because he was tired, "its been a few days since I've gotten an actual night of sleep. Not that we really have days, or nights in space."

"You need to relax."

"I can't."

"You have to." Marinette grabbed his hand. "You're safe. Its just the two of us. We've gotten rid of all of the imposters."

 _Have we?_ Adrien's mind screamed, but he didn't voice his thoughts aloud. He trusted Ladybug. She was human. She had to be. 

She told him her name. That was real. 

"Fine." He sighed. "I should probably sleep."

She nudged his shoulder. "If it'll make you feel better, I can take the first watch shift."

"No." He shook his head. "You're right. I've just been paranoid. We are safe now. There's no need to watch."

"Is it okay if we sleep together?"

Adrien's heart skipped a beat. Sure, she had kissed him, but he didn't expect to- "What?"

"Not like that." She laughed. "I just don't want to be alone."

That was a feeling Adrien knew well. 

Even if he went to his 'room' to sleep, it would be too quiet, too haunting without Carapace, Pegasus and Viperion. 

It didn't feel right that he had survived, while they all had not. 

He and Ladybug gathered all of the pillows and blankets and laid side by side in the cafeteria.

Adrien's eyelids felt heavier and heavier, as he succumbed to sleep, completely trusting Marinette besides him. 

In the moments before he fell asleep, he had the slightest feeling that he was wrong, that no one could be trusted , but he ignored it. 

His eyes closed, and the mechanical noises around him faded to static.

Adrien awoke to Ladybug sitting on top of him. 

"Whoa," he chuckled, "I can't breathe."

"I can't trust you. I can't trust anyone." She looked completely terrified. Adrien didn't understand.

"Of course you can trust me. We've made it this far." 

"You're playing mind games." She closed her eyes. "Nothing you say is real."

"Marinette, I love you."

"That's not real." She repeated. "You aren't real."

"Of course I'm real."

"You aren't Adrien anymore."

"What do you mean?"

"I really wish I didn't have to do this."

"Marinette, what's going on? I just woke up." Adrien tried to sit up, but she wouldn't budge. 

"If you're in there Adrien, I'm sorry." Marinette gave him a quick kiss on the lips, before injecting a needle into his thigh.

Venom.

So that was what she had taken from Queen Bee's pocket before they threw her into space. Adrien had thought that the paralyzing drug died with her. Apparently he was wrong.

Adrien had never felt it before but it was cold. It ran through his bloodstream, making everything cold and numb.

He couldn't even keep his eyes open.

But he heard everything.

He felt Ladybug drag his body across the ship. He felt her lock his helmet around his head. 

He felt the impact of the trash can, landing hard in the metal bin. It was definitely going to leave some bruises.

He could still hear Ladybug sobbing. 

He heard her pull the lever, felt the deep chill of space, and then nothing.

Adrien had mere minutes before he ran out of oxygen, but he couldn't even control his breathing. It was all reflex.

Somehow, Adrien managed to pry his eyes open, and he got one last look at the spaceship before everything went dark. 

From the outside, it looked cool. It looked like a place of technological advance and science. 

It didn't look like the place for multiple murders or a bout of mass hysteria.

It looked peaceful.

At least all the imposters were gone.

Adrien managed to save one person, at least. He didn't completely fail at his job.

Ladybug would be fine. 

As Adrien made eye contact with Ladybug through one of the ship's Windows, he finally understood what Ryuko meant.

The fourth system she destroyed wasn't something he could measure or even come close to fixing. It wasn't the plumbing, or the refrigeration, or the Windows. 

The fourth system that had been destroyed was the most important, but a system that Adrien had never checked for malfunctions. It was an implied system.

When Ryuko killed Viperion, she also destroyed four systems, which nearly cost everyone aboard their lives.

She rewired the lights, messed up the oxygen, disconnected the coms, and broke something that was supposed to unite all of them.

Trust. 

Without trust, they couldn't be a team.

Without trust, only one could survive.

That had been the imposter's plan all along.

And it worked perfectly. 

If only Adrien had betrayed Ladybug first.

Then, he would've had a chance to survive.

Just like his father. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow I finally finished this. It's been real fun. My fics have been getting darker tones recently and I'm gonna say idk why but this was fun to write.  
> I liked all the comments where everyone was like "oh no Darien is the imposter" I got you there haha
> 
> The fun of this ending is that it's very up to interpretation.
> 
> So, who do you think the real imposters were?   
> Was Ladybug an imposter?  
> Was it just ryuko? Was it anyone at all?  
> Was it all hysteria?  
> Comment, I want to know what y'all thought.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, do you read/write/art for this fandom? Check out the [ miraculous fanworks ](https://discord.gg/mlfanworks) discord server.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Guessing Game](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27031384) by [A_Human42](https://archiveofourown.org/users/A_Human42/pseuds/A_Human42)




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